In Time
by saryo
Summary: "The professor gave her a kind smile, "Peter is...fast to put it simply." Carolyn sighed and shook her head. Would she ever get used to this?" After loosing control of her mutation at college, Carolyn seeks refuge at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, where she learns the full extent of her mutation. (Peter x OC)
1. Chapter 1: Snowglobe

**A/N: Hey guys so...I'm new to this whole fanfic thing. I mean I've written hundreds of stories before but I've never actually published. Yikes. Anyway...I was mad there were basically NO quicksilver stories and I love his character so I decided to write my own. I definitely pretty much have the entire story planned out including the ending so if y'all like it I'll continue. I hope you guys like it. I at least had fun writing it. It's definitely peter x oc. Just a warning the rating may change...We'll see :) ANYWAY here we go. Hope its not too bad for my first try.**

* * *

It started on a Tuesday. Carolyn sat in the middle of her dorm room surrounded by papers and text books. Finals were next week and her stress levels were through the roof. She was on her fifth cup of coffee and second day without sleep. Her eyes hadn't left her notes in over three and a half hours. She had been studying for months now to no avail but she just _couldn't grasp the concepts_.

Carolyn Curtis was no idiot. She graduated high school with a 4.0 gpa and a scholarship to Harvard university. She worked hard for what she had but she could feel it all slipping away as the threat of failing her classes loomed before her. If she failed just one class it was game over, no more scholarship, no more Harvard. Not only would she loose the scholarship but she could already see the disappointment on her parents faces. She couldn't let them down.

Carolyn thought back to the day she got accepted. Her parents were glowing with pride and hope. They didn't have much money but they scraped together everything they could to cover what the scholarship did not.

 _They took extra hours and worked nonstop just for me to fail..._

 _What am I going to do?_

 _I don't understand any of this!_

 _It's next week. Next week. Four days to understand._

 _There's nothing I can do I just..._

Carolyn threw her papers in the air in frustration. She could feel the hot angry tears well up in her eyes as she reached for a textbook and launched it at the wall. But before it could hit...the book stopped mid-flight. It sat frozen in place as she looked up and let out a sigh. Believe it or not this was not unusual to Carolyn because Carolyn was no normal college student.

Carolyn A. Curtis was a mutant. One with the ability to slow time or halt it completely. The problem with the latter half is that she could only hold it for so long, thirty three minutes being her record.

She stared at the book attempting to calm down and will the tears away before standing up with a huff. "You know what? Fuck it I deserve a break."

She walked down the halls passing her frozen peers along the way. Stevie Grimshaw and Janice Ackerson stood mid-conversation. "They definitely just banged." She thought out loud noting their tousled hair and sweat.

She noted Eric Williams had his hand shoved so far up a vending machine that she began to consider that _he_ was a mutant. "There is no way any normal human could ever accomplish _that_." She laughed, bending over to investigate. His hand was wrapped around a chocolate bar on the bottom row and his face was red with exertion. She laughed again before heading towards the door.

Finally she made it out and the sunlight burned her eyes before she finally adjusted to the outside world. She hadn't left that building in days...she could feel the fresh air cleansing her body. Carolyn figured she had about 20 minutes left before time resumed and she decided that's how long her much deserved break would last.

She felt at peace when the world was frozen. It was a little unnerving the first couple times it happened but after a while it became one of her favorite pastimes. There was something about it that filled her with peace. There were no deadlines...no one to bother her...no noises. Just her...free to do as she pleased.

Her mutation manifested when she was nine. Her parents originally believed that she was teleporting. One moment she would be in a room and the next she'd be in the kitchen rummaging through the pantry for a snack. As she got older she was able to articulate what was happening and they all realized she was simply messing with time. Though her parents weren't mutants, they loved and supported her and did their best to protect her from prejudice.

Carolyn looked up to the sky but was met with something rather odd. She couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light or not but a large dome shaped barrier of sorts hung over the school. It seemed to be made of energy and it gave off an iridescent glow. Though the world was still...the air seemed to vibrate and the light around her seemed warped. It was like looking at bright lights with tired eyes or through a cheap plastic magnifying glass. After a while she realized it couldn't be natural and that it had to be coming from somewhere...or someone. She _had_ to investigate.

Carolyn then decided to find the edge of the dome _._ _Maybe along the way I'll find what's responsible_.

It took a while but finally she reached what seemed to be the edge. It looked just as the top had...a thin glowing sheet of energy. She then had two options. Let it be or touch it.

Now, she knew touching it was the stupid idea, but also knew if she died...she wouldn't have to worry about finals. Slowly, she reached a flat hand forward and allowed her fingertips to connect with the surface. Nothing happened. She pressed down harder and found herself falling forward and through the dome. Her face hit the grass with a thump and it was that moment she realized God truly was against her. She groaned while rolling onto her back.

A bird chirped.

The sound of voices and cars followed.

Time was back on.

But the dome was still there. And inside people still stood frozen in place. She quickly stuck her head back inside the dome.

It was silent.

She pulled it back out. The sounds of life hit her ears.

She looked up and around observing the menacing dome. People started to gather around speaking in panicked tones and shouts.

 _Did I do thi_ s _?_

* * *

It had been months, _months,_ and the dome was still there. Stevie and Janice were still mid conversation. Eric still had his hand shoved up that machine. Carolyn knew she did it. She didn't know how...but it was her powers that created this mess. And it had to be her powers that fixed it.

 _But she couldn't._

She had tried for months to figure out how to fix it. Nothing worked. She would stand in front of it for hours, concentrating, doing everything she could to undo it.

But. Nothing. Ever. Happened.

The dome was taped off with caution tape. Police were constantly on site attempting to keep the press away. But the whole country knew about it. It was on every news station and in every paper. Thankfully nobody knew who caused it...but they definitely blamed it on mutants.

Anti-mutant churches came from miles away to stand outside the dome holding bibles and anti-mutant signs. "Kill the muties! Cleanse the world of their filth! They will burn in hell!" They would shout, venom in their speech.

Carolyn felt awful. She never wanted any of this. She was afraid to tell her parents and for all they knew she was trapped inside with the others. Every day she would slip past security and return to her room. She had nowhere else to go. She didn't want to leave...she had to fix it. Luckily nobody dared to venture inside the dome...so she was safe from being exposed.

 _For now._

It had been five months. Five months since she stopped time at Harvard. Five months of investigation and nonstop news coverage. It all ended on a Friday. Carolyn woke that morning and stretched her arms. Just like that...time resumed. Everything was normal. The students and staff trapped inside had no idea of what occurred until they were met by frantic investigators and yellow tape. During the chaos, Carolyn slipped out with a duffle bag stuffed with her possessions and used a pay phone to call a taxi.

She knew where she needed to go.

* * *

"I believe you'll fit in quite nicely miss Curtis." The professor said as he led Carolyn down the hall. She trailed absently behind him as he came to a stop. "You'll be staying upstairs. I'll have someone bring your bag to your room-"

"Oh don't bother with that I can carry it..." She insisted.

"It's a long tour miss Curtis...and I'm sure you're quite tired." The professor wasn't wrong so she decided to take up his offer.

Before she could say anything a boy materialized in front of them. She gasped in shock and gripped onto the handle of the professor's wheelchair. She looked up...and the boy shot her a sly grin.

He looked at the professor, "You rang?" Carolyn looked at them, dumbfounded.

"Peter could you bring Miss Curtis's bags to her room?" The professor asked.

"You got it boss." Their eye contact didn't break. Peters smirk got wider. And with that he and her duffle bag disappeared without a trace.

"What...what did he just do? Did he teleport? I'm so-"

The professor gave her a kind smile, "Peter is...fast to put it simply." Carolyn sighed and shook her head. Would she ever get used to this?

"Don't worry you'll get used to it." The professor replied. Had he read her thoughts?

"Yes." He replied as he turned and began down the next hall, motioning for her to do the same. She sighed and followed after him. This place was weird...but then again so was she.

After the professor gave her the grand tour and engaged her in a long discussion about her past and goals for the future, Carolyn tiredly roamed the halls trying to remember where her room was. It was only two in the afternoon but she was beat and intended to sleep the second she found her bed.

She was supposed to go to dinner and meet everyone but didn't feel hungry nor did she possess the energy to do so. Finally she found what she was looking for. She had a roommate, as told by the already heavily decorated room, but luckily they were nowhere to be found. She immediately fell into the bed and sighed in satisfaction.

"Hey." _Now what._ She looked up and there he was. The boy from before, Peter, smirk and all leaning in the doorway.

"What do you want?" She groaned, she'd admit it was a little snippy of her but she was _exhausted_. So much for making good impressions.

"Is that anyway to treat the guy who most generouslycarriedyourbagtoyourroomsoyouwouldnthaveto."

"What?" She replied.

"I carried your shit." He said smiling, crossing his arms over his chest. "But that's not why I'm here." He appeared right next to her and she nearly fell off the bed in surprise...did he always have to do that? "I happen to be the official welcoming committee."

"Is that so?" She said, still laying on the bed with her hand draped over her tired eyes.

"It is. And as official welcoming committee it's my duty to give you the real tour of the school."

"The professor already gave me the tour."

"No he gave you _A_ tour not _THE_ tour. The real tour. Come on get up." He said, gently yanking on her arm.

"I'm too tired for this. Can't it happen tomorrow?" She hissed, pulling her arm away from him.

He grimaced. "Tired? It's 2 pm. What are you my grandma? Get up." He said, taking her hand and pulling Carolyn to her feet.

"Who are you calling a grandma when you're the one with grey hair."

Carolyn crossed her arms and planted herself on the wood floor.

"It's silver and you wish you had hair as cool as mine. Now lets goooo..." He said motioning towards the door. She stared at him for a beat. She was tired...but she was curious so she decided to humor him.

"Fine. I'll go." She said uncrossing her arms.

He quickly appeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her and placing one on her head.

Immediately she jumped away scoffing."Now just what do you think you're doing?" Really who was this guy?

He appeared behind her again and turned her around, "Its quicker this way." He replied.

"It's quicker what way?" She said shoving his hand away.

"Do you want to get whiplash?"

"Do I _what_?" She screeched. "What the hell are you-" but before she could finish her sentence, colors flashed around her and she found herself in a completely different setting.

She nearly keeled over and fell flat on her face but this time Peter caught her. The world spun around her and a wave of nausea washed over her body.

"Sorry." Peter's voice was filled with genuine concern. "Everyone's first time is rough."

Carolyn's brain called for her to push him away, but was it wrong that she enjoyed the way his arms felt around her? Finally reason kicked in and she shoved him away.

"You alright now?" He asked, leaning his head to the side, genuinely worried about her. _He really had to stop doing that to people he just met_.

Carolyn huffed, she wasn't about to put up with _this_ and she intended to return to her room that instant. She stared him down and focused her energy...what she had left of it at least. She raised her hands and her eyes flashed with light.

The world stopped. A bird hung suspended midflight. Children were stuck in running positions in the distance. A football was set in the air. Everything was still...all except for...Peter.

He stood there with a confused look...looking at the frozen world around him. He hadn't done this had he? _Did she do that?_

She began to yell. "What the hell! What did you do? Why aren't you like everyone else?" She flailed her arms around motioning towards the frozen world around them.

He just stared at her. For the first time...he didn't know what to say. He felt weird but he couldn't quite explain the feeling. What he did know was that she was the first person he'd ever met who saw the world the same way he did.

"Well?" She demanded.

"Hey man I don't know." Was all he could muster up. Carolyn groaned and plopped down on the grass in defeat.

"So is it like _this,_ " he raised a hand towards the scene in front of them, "everywhere right now? The whole world?" He slowly sat next to her. He never did anything slow in his life but he didn't quite feel like himself.

"There is no right now...technically. And...I think so." She closed her eyes as she laid down. Maybe if she did that he would go away. He didn't. They sat there for a moment. It was quiet. No wind. No birds. No nothing. Peter knew what it was like to be faster than sound but he'd never experienced a lack of it.

Carolyn sat up, realizing he wasn't just going to go away. "We'll take me on that tour I guess since I clearly can't escape you," She sighed, getting up and brushing the grass off her shorts, "but we're walking this time. Don't you dare do that...thing again." She looked around and just like that the world resumed as it had before.

Peter took her everywhere he could think of. There was no official welcoming committee or secret tour...which was obvious. He just thought she was hot. At the moment they were standing in front of what seemed to be a gardening shack.

"This is where we keep all the good snacks and games we don't want the younger kids knowing about." Peter explained.

"It's a rank old shack...why would you keep anything in there." Carolyn replied with a scrunched up nose.

"It's not just any rank old shack." Peter smiled as he fiddled with the lock and the door. The rusted hinges squeaked as the inside was revealed.

Despite the dirty exterior, the inside was quite nice. It was clearly remodeled and it looked more like a tiny apartment than a place to store garden supplies. It had a small fridge and a fluffy brown couch covered in fabric patches. There was a table in the corner that held a small little color TV with crooked antennas sticking from the top. There were also two arcade style game consoles on the wall closest to the door. Suddenly she felt cool air hit her face and realized there was even an air conditioner.

"...wow" Was all she could say.

"Me and Jean fixed it up about a year ago. Not too shabby if I do say so myself." He said with pride as he fell on the couch and leaned back.

"Who's Jean?" Carolyn inquired, still standing near the door.

"You'll meet her later. She's pretty cool you'll like her. Oh and I almost forgot..." He ran to the fridge and opened it. After rummaging around for a minute he finally pulled out two Popsicles.

He appeared in front of her. She didn't flinch this time. "Here." He said, holding them out. She took the red one.

"Thanks." She smiled as she unwrapped it. "So, where to next?"

They arrived at their next destination. It was a garden surrounded by large hedges and bright flowers.

"Now this place is top secret. You can't tell _anyone._ Especially not the professor. I mean he _knows_ about it this _is_ his house but he doesn't know what everyone uses it for."

"And what would that be?" Carolyn inclined.

"Weeeellll...let's just say anything you wouldn't want to be caught doing at the mansion." Peter leered, crossing his arms.

"Like what?" She asked, already dreading the answer.

"It's a sex garden. Totally a sex garden. Sometimes alcohol garden. Makeout garden. Party garden. _Weed_ garden. You name it..it's been done." He replied nonchalantly.

"You're unbelievable." She said, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Hey man I didn't say I did any of that or….at least some of that." He smirked. "I just thought you deserved to know. Who knows what shenanigans you'll get into here. And as a fellow shenanigans partaker it was my duty to inform you." He said raising his hands in defense.

Carolyn rolled her eyes. "Fine whatever. Where to next?"

* * *

 _"Pssh whatever you say man. I mean I guess it kinda sucks erik-Er my dad wasn't there but geez I mean what can you do. I mean he was kind of a terrorist for a while there. Just Imagine how I'd be if he HAD raised me amirite? It doesn't bother me."_

 _"Are you so sure about that?" Charles asked._

 _"Yeahdudewhatever...can I go?"_

Peter never took much of what Charles said seriously because to be fair _he wasn't a therapist._

" _Why are you always bringing up this boring stuff when I come in here?" Peter leaned down in the arm chair, resting his chin on his chest. He began to fiddle with the loose strings coming from the armrest._

 _"Peter, you're the one who comes in here. I've never asked you to do that. Why do you come in here if not for this?"_

 _"I dunno man...to talk..to discuss. I'm just bored I guess."_

 _"What do you think we're doing then? Peter if it wasn't abundantly clear already...I can read minds." Charles said, smiling as he leaned back. "But I don't need to do that to know why you've come in here._ _I know your father well and I'm the next best thing for acquiring the answers you seek...since you don't want to actually tell him he's your father..."_

"Uhhhh helllooo earth to peter. Are you in there?"

"Huh?" Peter said, pulling himself from his thoughts.

"You were telling me all about this 'super secret cool kids only lake' and then you blanked out for a while." Carolyn said as she sat down on the grass near the edge of the lake. The late May sun beat down on her neck and she desperately wished she could jump in. But she decided stripping down in front of Peter was definitely not the way to go. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand wishing she had another Popsicle.

"Well here it is. Cool kids only. Don't tell anyone about it. Moving on." He stuck his hand down to her and impatiently motioned for her to take it.

"Peter I'm hot." She groaned, ignoring his hand.

"Yousureare." He said, almost undetectably. "Now let's go we're burning daylight here. Ándale Ándale get up."

If looks could kill he would have been a dead man. Carolyn glared at him for a good minute. "What did you say?"

"Hurry up." He said, still holding his hand out.

"No before tha-"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said with an innocent smile. "How about we move on to our next stop, shall we?" Finally she took his hand. She was tired and annoyed but something about him made her want to put up with it. She figured it was because he was kind of cute. Carolyn sighed.

"Lead the way I suppose."

* * *

"Soooo...you control time." Peter asked, kicking at the dirt. Nearly four hours had passed and it was starting to get dark.

"Yes...though sometimes," she sighed "it controls me."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well..." Carolyn scrunched up her features. "You know that incident at Harvard?" _Who was she kidding everyone knew about it._

"Yeah! Man that was crazy!" Peter replied.

"I did that. I freaked out one day and...stuck everyone in a time bubble or something...I don't know. As soon as I figured out how to undo it I dropped out and came here."

"Jeez you went to Harvard?" Peter said in awe.

"What? No...you're missing the point. I caused that catastrophe it's all my fault. I trapped all those people in time for six months."

"Yeah and I broke my terrorist dad out of the pentagon. It's whatever man. The difference between you and me is that I lived in my mom's freakin basement until like 2 years ago and you went to Harvard." Peter stared at the ground with a half grin.

"Who's your terrorist dad?" She said with slight concern.

"Well he's not really a terrorist I guess. People don't hate him anymore...I think...I don't know it's complicated. He has been helping rebuild cities so I guess that's a good thing. Oh and he did help stop that old blue guy so..."

"Is your dad...is your dad _magneto_?"

"Yep. That's him." He said crossing his arms.

"Wow that's...wow. I wrote a whole paper on him. I was studying mutant law you know...At Harvard." Carolyn's anxiety began to resurface at her mention of Harvard. "You really can't tell anyone what I've told you. If they found out...well...I don't know what they'd do."

Carolyn began to realize her mistake in spilling her secrets to someone she just met. What was she _thinking_? The anxiety began to spread through her body and she found it hard to swallow.

Peter saw the stress on her as clear as day. He was beginning to learn just how easy to read she was. "Hey...listen I think we're pretty even here. I won't tell anyone you did at Harvard if you don't tell the government I committed treason." Peter pointed a stern finger at her and put on a mock serious face. "Got it?"

"Got it." Carolyn smiled. Being around him made her feel something she couldn't quite describe. She felt they were on common grounds and knew there was nothing to be worried about. She...Kind of... _trusted him._..which was strange to her considering she just met him. She sighed and began to relax again.

"So you lived in your moms basement?" She laughed. "How nice" she said in a mocking tone giving a playful shove.

"Woah woah woah hey...I only said that to make you feel better I'm not a total looser. I was the one who saved the world from that apocalypse guy."

"Is that so?" She said crossing her arms and giving a pointed look.

"Well I mean I was on the team but still did it. It still counts. You should be thanking me."

"Thank you O' valiant knight. For saving the world. I owe you my life." She said dramatically, draping her arm over her face as if she was fainting.

"You're welcome. And you do owe me but I'll cash that in later." He winked as he leaned against the tree.

Carolyn put her hands on her hips and glowered at him. "Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"Guess you'll find out later darlin."

Carolyn scoffed. "Is your stupid tour over now? Can I leave?"

"I guesssss. Do you want me to take you back my way or you gonna walk back like a boring looser?"

Carolyn stared at him for a good moment and Peter smiled back.

"I'll walk thank you." She said, without commitment in her tone. She realized the mansion was out of sight and she had no idea how to get back...or how long such an endeavor would take. Peter's tour took every last bit of energy she had left.

 _I don't think I can make it back._

"You uh...sure about that." He smirked, still leaning against the tree.

Carolyn huffed, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine just hurry up and do whatever it is you do."

Peter appeared behind her and lowered his goggles onto his eyes. Just like that they were back in her room. After a moment of catching her breath she finally turned to face him.

"You know. After all this time together I still only know your last name _Miss Curtis_." He said, pulling his goggles off.

"It's Carolyn."

He smiled. "Well Carolyn, I'll see you at dinner later." And with that he was gone.

Carolyn sat down on her bed and fell back. She really wasn't planning on going to dinner but decided she really had no choice at this point. _Besides_ , she thought, _it would be good to get to know people._

* * *

A/N: And that's it for now folks. I'll try to write as much as I can and I already have a few chapters written but I like to wait a lil to let them marinate so I can look back at them with a fresh mind and catch all those spelling and grammar errors. (If you catch any let me know...yikes..). Also I hope you like my OC! I really actually don't like OC's in fanfic all that much but I hope I did okay with her. Shes like my child and I tried to write her as well as i possibly could.

Anyways if you read it...thanks i really appreciate it!


	2. Chapter 2: 17 again

**A/N: Hey. Sorry This chapter is kinda short but I basically just wanted to get one up to establish that I have more to write. There's definitely more to come so stay tuned. Also I just realized in my last chapter my page breaks didn't show up? so I went back and added a few to clean things up. Sorry about that.**

* * *

The dining room was bustling. There had to be at least fifty people inside but luckily there was enough space to hold all of them. In fact, the room was massive and ornate. She never really took the chance to appreciate the grandeur and aesthetic of the mansion but now she stood there in awe of its elegance.

There was a heavy juxtaposition between the grace of the mansion and the rowdiness of the students. Carolyn herself felt somewhat out of place. But it wasn't due to the splendor surrounding her, but the fact that everyone seemed to know each other and had a place to sit.

It was high school all over again.

She stood at the door awkwardly trying to figure out her next move before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was greeted by a friendly smile.

"You're Carolyn right?" The girl asked. Carolyn nodded. "I'm Jubilee...your roommate. You seem lost." She laughed a little indicating the mass of students.

"A little. I have no idea where to sit. I only know one guy and I have no idea where he is." She replied.

"Oh that's like totally okay. Everybody's always lost their first day. But trust me it won't last long." She grinned, "You can come sit with me!"

 _'Thank god'_ , she said to herself, as she followed after Jubilee. It was an interesting name. She didn't think it was odd...just different. She'd never really met other mutants before that day...but from what she knew they often acquired new names over time. She wondered if that would happen to her.

Jubilee had to be around her age...maybe a year or two younger. She seemed vibrant and friendly and Carolyn was relieved to know that her roommate wasn't weird or rude.

Jubilee stopped at a table. She Motioned towards Carolyn, "Everyone this is Carolyn. She's my new roommate. Carolyn this is everyone. Everyone cool at least."

Carolyn looked around the table. She counted five people, one of them being Peter. He grinned before nudging the boy next to him and whispering something. Then he looked back at her.

"Hey Carolyn I saved you a seat." He said, patting the chair next to him.

"Uhhh as if Peter. My new roomie is sitting next to me. How do you even know her anyway?" Jubilee asked, leading Carolyn to a chair at the opposite end of the table.

"I gave her the tour. Duh." Peter replied, leaning back in his chair, balancing on the back pegs.

Jubilee gave a look of disgust. "Of course you did." She pulled out a chair and offered it to Carolyn. Carolyn sat down. "Peter why don't you make yourself useful and go get her some food." She said, pointing to a long table covered in plates and pizza boxes. Without a second thought, Peter disappeared and reappeared carrying a plate and a soda.

"Here you are Madame. Our finest cuisine." He said placing it in front of Carolyn. It was pizza and a side of fruit with a Coke.

"My compliments to the chef." She replied as she opened the soda.

"Chef Dominos is humbled by your praise." He said, returning to his seat.

Jubilee turned towards Carolyn, "We usually have better food...but it was Tim's birthday and he wanted Dominos." She said as she pointed towards a little boy with green skin at another table, who was in the midst of shoving an entire piece in his mouth. "Anyway...everyone...introduce yourselves."

"I'm Kurt." The boy in front of her said as he waved eagerly. He looked magnificent. He had deep blue skin and a long tail. She'd only ever seen something that amazing on television. But it couldn't hold a candle to the real deal. "It is nice to meet you." He had an accent she couldn't quite place.

The girl next to him spoke. "I'm Jean." She said, tugging a strand of soft red hair behind her ear. "I'm in the room next to yours."

The girl next to her had pure white hair that gave a beautiful contrast to her dark skin. "I'm Storm. I am Jeans roommate. It is nice to meet you." She also had an accent she couldn't place.

Carolyn was starting to get anxious, everyone around her was so beautiful and she felt out of place. It's not that she felt she was ugly...but she felt she just didn't add up to these above average looking people. The good thing about Harvard was that people focused more on schooling than they did looks, so Carolyn didn't have to try too hard in that department. Now she realized she'd have to step up her game.

The boy with an arm wrapped around Jean's shoulders spoke next. "I'm Scott." He said. He wore thick ray bans with rose colored lenses. She thought it was odd but decided not to question it. She figured they had to be there for a reason.

"It's great to meet you guys." She said as she picked up her pizza.

"So Carolyn...are you still in high school?" Jubilee asked. "Because it would be totally cool if we had classes together."

"No...I graduated a year or so ago. I was at college but...I had to leave..." She trailed off in thought.

"Yeah guys... she went to Harvard. Can you believe it?"Peter added.

"You went to Harvard?" Jean asked with wide eyes.

"What is a Harvard?" Kurt said.

Jubilee grabbed her arm."Whoa can you tutor me in math. You must be smart. I mean I'm smart obviously... but math isn't my strong suit."

"I thought I was your tutor." Jean added, crossing her arms.

"The only person you tutor is Scott." She said, giving a pointed look, "Yeah...everyone knows what you guys do in the garden." Scott's cheeks turned a shade redder than his glasses.

"Point taken." Jean replied.

Jubilee sighed, "It still sucks we wont have classes together."

"There's still some mandatory classes everyone here has to take regardless of age." Jean said as she swirled a fork around in her fruit cup. "So it's likely we'll all see each other there."

"Yeah and it's almost summer anyways. Which is great because we have so much free time." Jubilee said.

"Plus a lot of students go home for a while." Scott added. "So it's less crowded."

"Yeah you came just at the right time Carolyn. It's gonna be great." Jubilee said as she took a bite of her pizza.

Dinner lasted about two hours. It was in that time she got to know her new peers. They were all still in highschool save for Peter and Jean. Scott was due to graduate this year. Storm, Jubilee, and Kurt were juniors.

Though she was older than most of them, she didn't feel it. They all seemed more experienced and had better grips on both their mutation and life in general. Sure Carolyn was smart but she didn't really get out much. She was always too busy with school. She decided that was going to change. She was twenty years old and needed to experience life beyond schooling...so that's exactly what she'd do.

* * *

Dinner had ended and everyone had returned to their rooms. Jubilee sat on her bed while Carolyn began to find a place for all her things. She didn't have much so it was pretty easy.

"Is that all you have?" Jubilee asked with concern.

"For now." Carolyn replied. It was then she realized she needed to finally call her parents.

 _They were probably worried sick._

She would need to explain what happened and have them send her the rest of her things. She was also low on money so that was another issue."Hey...is there a phone around here? I need to call my parents."

"Oh yeah sure just use mine." She said, pointing to a pink phone that sat next to her bed. "I'm gonna go take a shower before everyone else uses the hot water." She said as she gathered up some pajamas and walked to the bathroom.

Carolyn picked up the phone and dialed in her parents' number and hoped to god they picked up. It rang three times before someone answered.

"Hello?" It was the voice of her mother.

Carolyn let out a sigh of relief, "mom...it's me."

"Oh god!" She cried, "Jim get in here! It's her. Honey where are you? What happened? Are you okay? What number is this?"

"I'm fine mom. I'm so sorry it took this long to call...it's...it's a long story." Carolyn explained to her parents what happened at Harvard and where she was. She explained what the school was and what it did. She told them it was the only way to get her mutation under control.

"Carolyn Anne Curtis why didn't you tell us earlier?" Her mother said with a stern tone.

"I was scared. I thought l...I don't know...I didn't know what to do..."

"Why in God's name would you not tell us? What do you think we'd do? Turn you in? We could have helped you. I would have come down ther-"

Carolyn cut her off, "it would have only made it worse." Her mother was silent for a moment. Carolyn could visualize the angry look she was most likely sporting.

"That is ridiculous and you know it." She sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm mad at you. But I'm glad you're okay. Is there anything you need? Should I come down there?"

"I didn't get all my things from my dorm. I only have a couple outfits. And I spent most of my money getting here. I had to quit my job."

"We'll call the school and get it figured out. I'll...make something up as to why you left in a hurry. As for money I'm sure Aunt Jackie will be more than happy to help. How long are you going to be there?"

"I don't know...as long as it takes." Carolyn really didn't know how long she'd be there. She hoped it would only be a couple of months so she could eventually return to school. She figured Harvard had to be shut down anyways so they could figure everything out...but she didn't know how long that would last.

"Well...whatever happens we are here for you. I can't believe you ever thought we wouldn't be." She sighed. "It's getting late you need to get some rest. Your father and I love you very much. I'll have him bring your stuff as soon as possible."

"Thank you mom...I love you. I'm gonna go then."

"Alright, get some rest. Goodnight." And with that she hung up.

* * *

After a while, Jubilee returned, her black hair rolled up in a towel atop her head. "Did you call them?" She asked as she rummaged through her drawers for socks.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. So...how do you like it here so far?" She sat down and began to pull the socks over her feet.

"It's nice...I'm glad you found me earlier or my opinion would have been a lot different. Sitting on my own was not something I needed." Carolyn said as she absently fiddled with the bracelet on her arm. "So...why...why don't you like Peter?"

"What?" Jubilee asked raising her eyebrows, "I like Peter. I don't hate him. Where would you get that from?"

"I don't know you...just didn't seem to like him." Carolyn replied, feeling a bit dumb.

"Nah I don't hate Peter. I just hate his antics. We're friends but sometimes he's just an ass...just like how sometimes Scott's an ass." She said as she laid down on her side, facing Carolyn. "Boys in general are my problem...except Kurt he's totally the biggest sweetheart I've ever met. Like ever."

"I feel stupid for not catching on but what did Peter do?" She asked.

"Well...he took you on," she raised her fingers to create air quotes, " _the tour_." Jubilee then took her hair out of the towel and began to dry her hair. "He takes all the new hot girls on _the tour._ " She created air quotes again before picking the towel back up. "Like last year there was this girl...Crystal...kind of a bitch in my opinion but anyway…he took her on _the tour_ because he thought she was hot. He does it all the time. He tried it on my friend Nancy four months ago. The only time it ever got him somewhere was Crystal. I caught them making out all the time. It was grody. I'm _soooo_ glad she's gone."

"Oh." Was all Carolyn said.

"Yeah don't take him too seriously. He's a good friend and he's fun to be around. But you can't pin him down. I mean his mutation _is_ running." She said as she picked up a bottle of lotion and rubbed some into her pale complexion.

Carolyn was a bit disappointed. She did kind of like him, but she also wasn't a teenager and it wasn't that big of a deal to her. She decided they would just be friends. She did _not_ need some boy coming in and ruining her time there. Her goals were to get her mutation under control and make friends...not start some summer fling.

"Speaking of mutations, what's yours?" Jubilee asked.

"Oh uh...I can stop and slow time. But...some new things have been happening that's why I'm..." Suddenly, she felt very dizzy. Her head throbbed violently and the world spun creating a wash of colors around her. It was like the worst migraine she ever had times ten. She thought she tasted copper for a moment, but just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Carolyn opened her eyes only to find Jubilee gone, and that it was no longer nighttime but daytime. Even more peculiar, all of Jubilees things were gone and replaced with someone else's. Carolyn hopped from her bed and headed towards the door. She threw it open and stuck her head out.

Everything looked the same, there were a few students standing around chatting as sunlight poured through the windows. What struck her as odd was the clothes they were wearing, they clearly weren't in style but they definitely weren't old either. The air also seemed to vibrate as it had all those months ago when the dome appeared.

 _Oh god...what now._

She exited her room and began to walk down the hall in hopes to find Jubilee or at least some answers. It was then that someone called her name.

"Carolyn?" She turned around to find the source. It was _Peter_ , a much, _much_ older Peter.

"What in the hel-"

Peter cut her off and ran to her, grabbing her shoulders, "Carolyn are you alright? God this must be one of your first times. This is so crazy. I have to go find Carolyn...or...you. She'll know what to do I-"

"What the hell is going on? Why are you so old? What is happening? Where's Jubilee?" She shouted as she began to back away.

"In California right now. Listen I know this is confusing for you but trust me it's normal. It'll all make sense soon we just have to find...older you...or the professor. They'll explain-" Old Peter's voice began to fade and everything began to blur. She felt warm liquid run from her nose before suddenly everything began turning again. Before she knew it she was standing in a dark hallway and everyone was gone. She hit the floor with a thud.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope that sounded alright. Y'all gotta let me know! I have no idea if it's good or not. Anyway, if you stuck around thank you and I hope you like the new chapter! I'm gonna try and get up another one tonight or tomorrow. Since I don't have classes until August I have a lot of writing time so I'll get up chapters whenever I can. I'm not really sure how long the overall story is gonna be...we'll just see how the story goes. At the least it will most likely get up to 15 chapters maybe more. I'm hoping more. Planning on more actually. But if nobody likes it I'll probably just not even finish it to be honest lol. Also I hope I did Jubilee some justice since the fucking movies have not. She's definitely gonna be a prominent character in this story to make up for the fact that she wasn't in the new movie. We'll explore Carolyn's relationships with everyone down the road so stay tuned for that. This is definitely a peter x oc but she's also going to have some friendships, which I think is important. There's gonna be some drama and action in this story but that's later on down the road. I want to set up life at the mansion first and let them have a little fun before things start getting angsty you feel me? Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope there's not too many errors I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to that except for my friend LIZ! who read the first chapter and gave me wonderful feedback.**


	3. Chapter 3: Frankenstein's Bride

**A/N: Read the note at the end.**

* * *

Peter had been running around the grounds of the mansion to blow off steam before bed. He did that every night or else he'd be plagued with insomnia. He had always been a night person in general but after the events in Egypt…it formed into an actual problem.

He wasn't one to actually confront his issues...but this was one he just couldn't escape. Every night his mind replayed the events that unfolded _that_ day.

It was the first time he feared for his life.

 _The air was thick. The combined heat of the sun and surrounding fires smothered him. Every detail was as vivid as the day it occurred. Peter remembered the force of the ancient mutant's hand. The way he snarled. His conceit. His disdain. The mutant valued Peter's life no more than he did the dirt he stood upon._

 _Peter heard his bones crack._

 _It was the worst sound he had ever heard. Without a shadow of doubt…it would all end that day._

The dream always ended the same way…with his death. The only people who knew about it were Charles and Jean, but there wasn't much he could do about that…they knew _everything_. Jean often helped when it got too unbearable. She had been plagued with nightmares her whole life and knew the fear of sleep all too well.

Peter started to make his way back to the mansion, figuring he'd done enough running for the night. The world blurred past him until he finally made it inside. He zoomed up the stairs and turned the corner only to find someone hunched over on the ground. Their face was covered by a mane of thick dark hair, but he soon realized who it was.

He stopped in front of her and returned to normal speed. "Carolyn?"

She looked up with a dazed expression. Peter noticed a thick stream of blood running from her nose. He immediately kneeled beside her.

"Carolyn…what happened?" He said, gently pulling hair away from her face. Incoherent mumbling was her only response.

"Alright uh…" he said, running a hand through his hair, "let's get you to the professor and figure this out. Can you walk?"

She nodded slowly before taking Peter's hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes before turning to Peter. "What happened?" she asked.

"Hey how should I know dude…I just found you hunched over on the floor all dramatic-like. I figured something had to be up. Do you not remember anything?" he asked.

"I do I just…I don't understand." She said, furrowing her brow.

"Charles will know what to do," He said as he led her down the hall, "Let's go find him okay?" As they walked down the moonlit hall…Peter noticed something. At first glance, he didn't register anything unusual, but after a while he realized something was different about her. He stopped walking and just stared unsure of what he was looking at.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?" she said with a sideways glance.

"Well," he started to suppress a laugh, "You've got quite the bride of Frankenstein look goin on there." He said, nodding at her head.

"What?" her hands flew to her head and felt around, "What are you talking about?" She asked, her voice filled with panic.

Before he could explain, Charles, Hank, and Jubilee appeared at the end of the hall.

"CAROLYN!" Jubilee screeched as she ran towards her, "THERE YOU ARE!" Jubilee wrapped her arms around Carolyn and squeezed her in a tight embrace. She stood stiff as a board unsure of how to react before quickly returning the hug.

"Miss Curtis are you alright?" Charles said as he made his way towards them, "Jubilee said you disappeared. In front of her, might I add?"

Carolyn turned to Charles, "Professor…I'm not sure what happened. I remember it but…I can't explain it."

"May I take a look?" He said, tapping the side of his temple. Carolyn nodded. It was a long while before he spoke again. Finally, the concentration left his eyes and he looked up to Carolyn.

"I think we should talk." He said, still clearly mulling over what he saw, "Jubilee why don't you head back to your room? It's late and I believe you have an algebra test in the morning…do you not?" He gave her a knowing look.

Jubilee sighed, "Yes professor." She gave one last glance to Carolyn before returning to her room.

Charles turned to Peter, "You might as well go to bed too. Miss Curtis and I need to have a chat." Peter stared at Carolyn for a moment before finally nodding his head.

"Alright," he then pointed to Carolyn, "But you're tellin' me everything tomorrow. Got it?"

Carolyn nodded, "I will."

"See you tomorrow then." Peter declared. He quickly disappeared, leaving behind a small gust of wind.

"This way then." Charles said as he turned his wheelchair around.

* * *

Charles and the other man, who she learned was named Hank, led her to an elevator. It took them downstairs and after navigating the dark halls they arrived at the professor's office. Hank flipped on the light and Charles wheeled to his desk.

He motioned to one of the arm chairs, "have a seat."

Carolyn slowly sat down and pulled her knees to her chest. Worry plagued her mind as she stared at the dark wooden floors. Her eyes began to trace the patterns on the adjacent carpet.

"Carolyn, from what you told me about your mutation when you arrived," the professor straightened some papers on his desk as he spoke, "is it right for me to assume traveling to the future was not previously in your repertoire of talents."

Carolyn's head shot up and her eyes went wide, "Is _that_ what happened?"

The professor nodded, "It seems to be the only logical explanation. For the moment I'm not too concerned about what you're doing..." he reached forward and handed her a tissue while tapping at his own nose, indicating the blood that still dripped from her nostrils, "I'm more concerned about what it's doing to you."

Carolyn wiped up what she could, while holding her head back, before stuffing the tissue up inside her nose and leaving it there. She probably looked _ridiculous_ , but at the moment, _she didn't care._

"Hank is here because when you traveled forward in time, he picked up energy readings that we've only seen in a handful of instances."

Hank nodded while moving closer to them, "The energy signatures themselves are unique…I've never seen anything like them. In fact they differ from the ones I was able to pick up from the Harvard incident." Carolyn bit her lip anxiously at the mention of Harvard.

"But…what does any of that mean? I don't understand." She said, running her hand through her hair, still wondering what Peter was talking about earlier in the hall.

"Honestly? I have no idea. The only thing I _do_ know is that the energy is large and unique." Hank said.

"I'm truly sorry but we have no answers. But what I do know is that we need to get a handle on these outbursts as soon as possible." The professor noted her worried expression, "For all we know it could be nothing. We haven't even examed you physically, which we'll do after this, but with the bloody nose and the hair..."

"What about my hair? Why does everyone keep saying there something wrong with my hair?" she said frantically.

Charles then rummaged through his drawers for a moment before pulling out a small handheld mirror. He reached over his desk and placed it in her hand. Carolyn quickly raised the mirror to her face and gave it a sideways glance, fingering at her hair and squinting.

She was horrified.

Her beautiful black curly hair now held streaks of pure white throughout. Carolyn wasn't one to be vain but she _loved_ her hair. More than anything about herself.

 _And now it was ruined._

A deep frown grew on her face as she stared into the mirror for what seemed like forever, only growing more dissatisfied as time went on.

The professor finally broke the silence, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, at least you didn't lose it..."

* * *

 **A/N:** **Alright guys here's the thing...this was supposed to be uploaded with two other chapters...but my computer didn't save them. I'm using google docs now but I'm literally so angry...girl you don't even know. So please, for the love of all things good and holy, be patient. I'm trying to recreate them without them sounding sloppy. Pray 4 my ass. I nearly physically fought my god damn laptop.** **So this one is SUPER short but trust me so much is to come. I'm just really putting a lot of work into it because I noticed some mistakes in the first two chapters and I was angry at myself. So it's gonna take a little bit for the next couple chapters to cook because I want them to be perfect. But just know...this story is gonna be LONG. I have like 15 pages that are just pure charts and planning so I don't forget anything because a lot is about to go down in the future chapters. Not gonna get into specifics _obviously_ but just be prepared. If you think this is gonna be a carefree fun story you are MISTAKEN!**

 ** _ALSO_ shout out to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate any and all feedback good or bad. I'm really just writing fic to improve my writing so I am sooo beyond grateful for those reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4: The red ones

**A/N: Some notes at the end. Enjoy!**

* * *

After she was checked for any physical problems (down in the lab she never knew existed) Carolyn found her way back to her room. She snuck in quietly, trying not to wake Jubilee, before finding her bed and collapsing into it.

 _Something that should have happened 10 hours ago._

She laid there, hoping exhaustion would win over excessive worry, but it did not. No matter how tired she was, she could not stop thinking about everything that had transpired.

 _And my hair! My beautiful hair!_

She knew her hair was the least of her problems but it sure didn't feel like it. There was a very small list of things she liked about herself and her hair was at the top of said list. She loved how soft it was and how she never seemed to get split ends. It was always healthy.

 _Was_.

It had such rich color and shine.

 _Had._

And since her go to style was curly and teased to the heavens it really did make her look like Frankenstein's bride.

 _Or monster._

After a long, angst filled internal lament about her loss she began to face the real issues. The ones she'd hoped to avoid until the next day.

 _What the hell happened?_

Carolyn thought back to the moment she traveled forward, trying to piece together what happened and _how_ it happened. She had no clue what triggered it. She had been having a casual conversation and just like that she was flung forward in time.

When it came to the Harvard incident, she figured it had something to do with stress. But this time around...she couldn't find an explanation.

 _There was no trigger. It. Just. Happened._

The memory replayed a hundred times in her brain before finally exhaustion got the best of her and she slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

She woke to the sound of Jubilee singing along to Wham! in the bathroom as she got ready for her classes.

"Wake me UP! Before you go GO! Don't leave me hanging on like a yo YO! Wake me up before you go GO! I don't want to miss it when you hit that" She put a finger in her ear and raised a hand, "HIIIGGHHHHHHHH"

"Jubilee..." Carolyn groaned, rubbing her eyes, "It's 6 am."

Jubilee stopped and stepped out of the bathroom, "Yeah it is. You gotta get up! We start early around here. Plus you better get a shower in before all the hot water is gone. Trust me...you don't want a cold shower."

Carolyn sighed and threw her covers off. "Alright" She said before yawning,"Uh do you have shampoo and soap I could borrow...I forgot mine."

"Yeah of course. It's already in there. There's also clean towels below the sink."

Carolyn spent thirty minutes in the shower, letting the steaming water hit her back as she stared at the glossy tiles that lined the wall in front of her. After washing her hair and scrubbing her tired body she stepped out and wrapped a pink towel around herself.

She wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at her reflection. Her usually olive skin had taken a turn for the pale. She was exhausted. This year had been a whirlwind and she was _only five months in._ She could only imagine what other horrors awaited her in the second half of the year. There were heavy bags under her tired green eyes and the thick brows above were in dire need of waxing. She rubbed two fingers between her brows, feeling the fuzz that was starting to form, before sighing.

She really needed to get herself together.

There was a brush and hair drier lying on the counter so she decided to dry her hair. After that, she found a srunchie and pulled her thick hair into a ponytail. Makeup and various creams that belonged to Jubilee were spread out on the counter.

"She wouldn't mind...would she?" She asked herself quietly. She contemplated for a moment before finally picking up an eye-shadow pallet and brush. She swiped a dark brown onto her lids and topped it off with a lighter brown. Jubilee definitely wasn't the same shade as Carolyn, so foundation wasn't going to happen, but she did pick out a light blush and used her fingers to lightly spread it on her cheekbones.

She stared into the mirror and examined her features, "Better at least."

Carolyn opened the door and stuck her head through the crack, "Jubilee, could you hand me my bag? I forgot my clo-" Jubilee was laying on her bed with her hand in the air. Her fingers twirled around in the air as light bounced and danced around. Whitney Houston was blasting from her radio but it didn't fully drown out the popping noises that came from the light.

"...wow." Carolyn said, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"Cool right?" Jubilee said before dropping her hand and standing up. She grabbed Carolyn's bag and walked towards the bathroom.

"Amazing actually. Is that your mutation?" Carolyn asked, taking the bag.

"Some of it. The professor has been helping me utilize it. Anyway, I'm gonna head for breakfast because classes start at seven and I've got training at nine. I'll see you later." She said as she picked up a backpack and headed towards the door.

When she left, Carolyn shut the door and began to pull clothes from her bag. She picked out a plain white shirt with a pair of yellow shorts. After getting dressed she returned to the room and searched for her white canvas shoes before she found them hiding under her bed.

It was around seven that Carolyn decided to hunt for some coffee. Quickly, she pulled a grey baseball cap from her bag and stuffed her curls inside so no one would see the white streaks. She then groggily stumbled around the empty halls trying remember where the dining room was before running into Jean.

"Hey," She said with a smile, "Come on I'll show you where you can get some coffee." Carolyn considered for a moment that it was strange Jean knew exactly what she was looking for...but decided it really didn't matter.

She just wanted coffee.

After a short silent walk, they arrived at the kitchen and Jean immediately walked over to a large and complex coffee machine. The kind Carolyn had only seen once while visiting Italy with her parents.

Jean seemed to know what she was doing and Carolyn wasn't about to attempt to understand how the machine functioned, so she let Jean do all the work.

Finally, she walked over with two cups in hand and set them down on the counter before sliding one to Carolyn. With half lidded eyes, Carolyn brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes opened with the realization that it was exactly how she liked it, two creams and five sugars.

"How did you-"

"I'm a telepath...sort of like the professor." She replied as she raised the cup to her lips, taking a sip. Jean's drink was rather odd, it was topped with white foam. She thought back to Italy and recalled the array of drinks they served in their restaurants. _This had to be one of them._

Carolyn then realized what Jean had told her. "Wow…" she said, "So does that mean you can read minds? What is that like?"

"Annoying." She said before taking another sip.

"I can see that." Carolyn replied. "I know people who I don't even want to _talk_ to...let alone read their mind."

Jean laughed before pulling the scrunchie off her wrist and throwing her hair into a ponytail. "Tell me about it." She said.

They were quiet for a moment before Jean spoke again. "So, you went to the future?"

Carolyn choked on her coffee a bit, "I...I guess."

"What was _that_ like?"

"Weird. I don't know." she paused for a moment, "I think I saw Peter."

"You think?"

"I mean the guy was old but not old enough to have silver hair. And who else do you know that has that?" she paused for a moment, "Wait do you know anyone else that has that?"

"No." she laughed a little. "Just Peter"

"I think he said something about 'older me'." Carolyn sighed, "I guess I stick around here for a while."

"Maybe. Or maybe by going there you have already changed the future because you know what's going to happen...so you make different decisions. Or maybe nothing happens. Who knows." Jean shrugged.

"The professor told me we would work on control this afternoon. How am I supposed to control it if I don't even know how it happened?"

"I was like that once. Still am in a way." She said, as she moved to rinse her empty cup in the sink, "You'll get the hang of it."

"But what if I don't?"

Jean shrugged, "Then I guess you better get used to the future."

* * *

"You're listening to 98.5 hit fm the best station for all the latest hits! Up next we have a new one for you. Here's Madonna with-"

Peter slammed his alarm clock, nearly knocking it from his bedside table. His face was buried in a pillow. He was _not_ a morning person.

This whole "x-men" thing was really starting to seem like a bad idea. Every weekday at 9 am they met for training. It wasn't that he hated it...but he did not enjoy getting up early just to do the same things over and over and _over_ again.

" _And for what?_ " he mumbled to himself as he got out of bed. He picked a shirt from the ground, giving it a quick sniff before deciding it was clean, " _We never do anything._ "

They hadn't actually fought anyone since Apocalypse. He knew that was a good thing, he didn't actually want to see real action, but he also didn't want to waste his time doing the _same drills over and over._

 ** _*Two years earlier*_**

" _Jesus man what do I look like? The flash? I'm not wearing this," Peter said as he held up the bright blue prototype suit. He began to laugh, "Wait is that a lightning stripe?"_

" _I color coded them for easy recognition on the field…" Hank explained._

" _Don't you think bright green and yellow is a little...flashy.." Jean said as she warily examined her suit._

" _Hey what's wrong with bright yellow?" Jubilee asked, before quickly snatching Jean's suit. "I'll take it!"_

" _I like mine but...can we cool it with the yellow around the crotch here…" Scott said, pointing to his suit._

 _Storm furrowed her brows, "Why does mine have a cape?"_

" _Oh that's not a cape," Hank said as he moved towards Storm, "I just haven't finished sewing it. When I'm done it will aid your flying."_

 _Raven stood in the corner, unamused, examining her suit. "Hank….why is mine so...revealing."_

" _You walk around naked anyway. Why does it matter?" Storm said. Raven shot her a look._

" _That's what I had in mind when I made it. I thought you would want it that way." Hank quickly added._

" _I vike mein!" Kurt said excitedly as he held up the bright red suit._

 _Raven put a hand on his shoulder, "Kurt you are not wearing that monstrosity. We'll get you something better," she said before turning to Hank, "Who put you in charge of design anyway?"_

" _I say we design our own." Scott said as he threw his on the table._

" _Yeah! I'm not wearin this shit...No offense bro." He said to Hank before turning to Jean and mouthing 'full offense' behind his hand._

" _Fine. Just make sure you get the designs to me by the end of the week." And with that, Hank stormed out._

 _Raven shook her head, "I can't imagine what he had planned for Charles." She began to laugh at the thought of Charles wearing any of the suits that were spread out on the table._

" _Probably a laser-shooting, flying wheelchair. With a cape.." Peter said, as he imagined Charles zooming around the battlefield, "Actually that sounds sorta cool."_

 _After two weeks, the suits were finally completed. They had been toned down exponentially, but Jubilee had managed to make hers even more flashy than Hank had. Peter went with a simple silver design. One that didn't have a cheesy lightning stripe, which was all that mattered to him._

Ever since then, they had been training and waiting for the next danger to arrive. But it never did.

Peter zoomed into his bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth and fixing his hair. His life was starting to get boring again.

 _But there was Carolyn._

 _She's not boring._

 _But I also don't have a chance._

She had been the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. But he couldn't have her... _it was just facts._

"She has a lot more to worry about than some guy _."_ He mumbled as he slipped on his shoes. Peter glanced at the mirror one more time before grabbing his goggles from the counter and heading out the door.

* * *

Carolyn had been wandering the grounds for what seemed like forever. Several hours prior, the professor had told her to get some rest so they could start practicing control around noon. After several attempts at rest, she decided it just wasn't in the cards for her. So she opted for exploring the mansion and the surrounding area by herself. She was tired but figured it was better than laying in bed, stressing about her situation.

It was cooler than it was the day before. The sun was shining but it was paired with a pleasant breeze and large clouds were scattered throughout the sky. The leaves on the trees danced in the wind and it was silent save for the distant chattering of birds. A rather large gust of wind came through and nearly knocked her hat off but she quickly caught it before it went too far.

The area around her seemed familiar and it was then that she realized the shack Peter had shown her was near, so she headed towards it.

When she arrived, Carolyn lifted an adjacent rock to look for the key but found it was missing and that the door had already been unlocked. She quickly entered to find Peter draped on the couch, music blasting from his headphones. His eyes were closed and his hand held a blue popsicle that was beginning to drip.

She stood there staring for a moment before Peter opened his eyes.

"Jesus Carolyn. Howlonghaveyoubeenstandingthere?" he said as he yanked his headphones off.

"Not that long." She said as she headed to the fridge before pulling out a red popsicle. Peter threw his melting popsicle away and wiped his sticky hand on the side of the couch before she could even blink. She unwrapped the popsicle before sitting down next to him.

"So are you gonna tell me what happened last night?" He asked, turning towards her.

"I went to the future." She deadpanned.

He raised his brows, "You did?"

"I did."

"Have you ever done that before?"

"Nope." She said, tasting her popsicle.

"Are you sure _you_ did it?" He asked.

"I guess. There's really no other explanation." She said, pondering his question.

He disappeared and reappeared with another popsicle. A red one this time. "For all you know it could have been aliens or a time machine test gone wrong. I mean...who knows what they do down there in that lab. I've only ever been in the danger room." He said, unwrapping the popsicle.

"The _what?_ "

"The daaaaannngggerrr roooom." He repeated, slower this time.

"No I heard you. What the hell is a danger room?"

"It's where some of us go to train. I just got back from there actually." He said, taking a bite of his popsicle before grimacing, "Why do you like this flavor? It's disgusting." He took another bite and made a gagging noise.

"It's not! Why didn't you just get a blue one? I saw plenty in there..."

"Because you got red. I figured I must be missing out something." He said before launching his popsicle at the trash.

Carolyn stared at him for a moment. "Anyway….what do you train for? Jubilee was saying something about that earlier. Does this place have a sports team I don't know about?"

Peter laughed, "Yeah that's exactly what it is. A sports team."

"Really? Because I did track and cross country in highschool. And I think I did soccer for a while in middle school…" She trailed off trying to remember if she did anything else.

"You did track? We're you fast?" Peter asked.

"Well...not as fast as you." Carolyn said.

"Of course not. Nobody is fast as me Carolyn. I'm sayin' compared to everyone else."

She shrugged. "I was okay. I didn't get a scholarship for it or anything. My parents told me to never use my mutation to win or 'it would raise suspicion' but if I had...I probably would've won a lot more. There was this girl, Heather McAdams, who I was always trying to beat. I would've wiped the floor with her if I would have just stopped time...if only for a second." She sighed.

"Why didn't you?" Peter asked.

"I told you….my parents told me not to."

Peter looked at her with disbelief "So? It's not like they would've known. Jeez Carolyn...didn't you have any fun in high school? That's the whole point of being able to do stuff like this "

"I highly doubt the universe gave us mutations just so we could screw around in high school. And they would have found out...they have an eye for that sort of thing because….because well...it's a long story."

"I've got time." He said as he disappeared and reappeared holding another popsicle, blue this time.

"Well I don't. The professor wanted me back before noon so we could work on control."

"That reminds me," He said, leaning forward, towards her, "What did you see in the future. Was it cool? Any flying cars? Personal robot butlers? What's the deal?"

Carolyn thought for a moment, "I...I saw you."

"Oh shit really? So it _was_ cool. How old was I?"

"Old." She said.

"Like how old? Gimme an estimate." He said, moving even closer.

"Uh I dunno...late 40s? Maybe early 50s?" She said, raising her hands into a shrug.

Peter leaned back and scoffed, "Ah man that's not old...I was hoping for 500 year old mutant master with a long grey beard or somethin."

"Well you're already halfway there old man." She laughed, pointing to his silver hair.

Peter quickly snatched the grey baseball hat from her head, "You're one to talk Ms Frankenstein!"

Her hands flew to her head, covering the white streaks, "Give that back!"

"Mmmmm...no. I don't think I will." He disappeared and reappeared at the opposite side of the room, the hat now on his head.

Carolyn stomped towards him and reached for his head only for him to disappear before she could touch him. She turned around and found him sitting on the couch with a wide smirk.

"I'm serious Peter! Give it back!" She said.

Peter pursed his lips, "Hmm...No." Carolyn ran to the couch and reached for the hat, but Peter disappeared and she fell onto the cushions. She rolled over only to find Peter standing in front of the couch, practically trapping her there.

She looked up, "Give it back."

"Apologize." He said, "For making fun of my hair."

"I didn't!"

"You did." He said.

"Fine! I'm sorry! Please just give it back!" She pleaded.

"Why? I like your hair like that. It looks cool." He said, twirling the hat around on his finger.

"I don't! Please just give it back."

"Alright. Here you go." He said as he handed it to her. She snatched it from his hands and pulled it over her hair before standing up and pushing him out of the way.

"I need to go." She huffed, as she headed for the door.

Peter appeared in front of it, "Hey why are you mad at me? You started it."

Carolyn stared at him, "Just move. Please."

Peter didn't budge. "I'll take you back if you want. So you don't have to walk all the way there."

Carolyn eyed him warily as she thought about it.

"Look...I'm sorry about the hat...and the hair. But hey, at least you didn't get the hair when you were a kid. Could you imagine being the only kid in class with silver hair? It's not fun FYI. At least here...nobody cares."

Carolyn finally sighed. "No I can't imagine that. But I _can_ imagine what it's like being the only girl in the class with bushy eyebrows and brown skin." She said, remembering all the times she was picked on for her _foreign_ appearance, "I'm sorry for making fun of your hair."

"It's fine dude. I look cooler than everyone anyway." He said with a smug grin, "So do you want me to take you back?"

"Yes."

"What's the magic word?" Peter said, with a hand on the doorknob.

Carolyn sighed. "Please."

Peter opened the door and lowered his goggles to his eyes. "Alright then, let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright...so some side notes that are semi relevant but like...I didn't put in for different reasons. The prototype suits are based on the original various comic designs. I just thought it would be nice to add that in there...give a little explanation as to why the costumes arent comic accurate. Another note, I know a good handful of information about comics. I'm no expert...but I know _enough..._ so there will be nods to the comics here and there but nothing too major because this is a movie story not a comic story. One nod to the comic would be the mention of Crystal in an earlier chapter. If you don't know who that is... it's Peter's(PIETRO'S) on again off again wifey in the comics. Some people like her...others don't...I don't really have an opinion. ALSO...so...my headcanon is that in marvel comics...dc comics are what people read...and in dc comics...marvel comics are what people read. So when peter talks about the flash...he's talking about a comic book character. In my head mutants wrote comics to vent and share their stories without actually exposing themselves. ANOTHER note is that Carolyn is indeed not white. Her race will be further explored in the later chapters when we get into family business. ALSO I know i keep talking but one more thing Jubilee is an xmen because I can and I will. ALSO ALSO...one last thing...this is indeed set in the 80s and lattes and such did not really take flight in america till the late 90s and beyond. So that explains why carolyn has no idea what Jean is drinking. **

**ANYWAY! Thank you so much to all my readers who have stuck around or are just here in general. I appreciate the support and I'm grateful for the reviews, follows, and favs! I read every single review and I'm so grateful for them! Love you guys!**


	5. Chapter 5: sweet dreams

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! Note at the bottom. Also just a warning in this chapter and the next there will be mentions of/actual underage drinking. If you're not down for that for whatever reason I'm sorry! I don't endorse it! Don't do drugs dont drink kids stay in school.**

* * *

Peter stopped in front of the mansion and Carolyn nearly fell forward, but was able to balance herself with her arms. She took a moment to breathe before turning to Peter.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." She said in between breaths.

"You will eventually. Pretty soon you'll be begging me to take you places." Peter said with a self assured grin.

"I'm sure." she said as she shook her head and made her way up the driveway.

"Alright well...I'm headin' to the store. See you at dinner." He shot her a grin then vanished.

Carolyn stared at the spot where he had been standing before shaking her head again and continuing up the steps. When she made it inside she was promptly greeted by the professor

"I see you've been getting on with Peter." He said.

Carolyn closed the door behind her. "I suppose."

"Have you eaten lunch yet?" He asked.

"No not yet." It was then she realized she hadn't eaten all day save for coffee and a popsicle. She was starving.

"You haven't eaten all day have you? Come now I won't have you dying on me...let's get to the kitchen." He turned to head towards the kitchen and waved his hand for her to follow.

Carolyn stared at him for a moment before moving. She was going to have to get used to this whole 'telepath' thing.

When they arrived, he immediately headed towards the large industrial sized fridge and began to pull things out. "You just missed lunch but we always have food around here. That reminds me, don't feel obligated to follow the same schedule as everyone else," he pulled out the ingredients for a sandwich, "It's only there to keep the younger students organized. But this is more like a home than a school. Everyone is allowed to come in and take what they need."

"Gotcha." She said as she sat down on one of the stools next to the counter. "I just forget to eat sometimes. Especially with all of-" she waved her hands around her hair, indicating the white streaks, "-whatever this is."

"Speaking of, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get some blood samples from you after this. I forgot to get them last night."

"Sure." Carolyn was a bit wary of needles but she trusted the professor just enough to allow it.

"Good. I've been thinking, and it just strikes me as…odd that you would display new skills this late in age. Not that it's not possible...but it usually doesn't occur unless one tries to make it occur." He said as he pulled two plates from a cupboard near him.

Carolyn began to worry. "What...What does that mean?"

"I couldn't tell you. It's what we're trying to figure out. But really there's no need to worry." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "For all we know, you could be carrying a certain gene that suppressed these abilities. One we've never seen before. Once I take a look at your DNA I may be able to find out. Now, on to more important matters" he said as he motioned towards the counter, "What kind of sandwich do you want?"

* * *

"When you froze Harvard, what were your thoughts?" The professor said. He sat in his wheelchair across from Carolyn who sat comfortably in the grass. The field around them was quiet and peaceful, and the blue sky was beginning to transition to a deep orange color.

Carolyn thought back to that day. "I was stressed."

"About what?" He said as he wrote into a notebook.

She sighed. "School. My finals. Failing. Disappointing my parents…"

"Are you often stressed? Was this a normal occurrence?"

"Actually….yes. But I mean...it was finals week...so that added a little more stress than usual." She said as she crossed her legs and leaned on her elbow.

"Of course. Back in my college days, I stayed up for five days straight trying to perfect my dissertation." he laughed. "School had always come easy to me but college never comes easy for anyone."

"Yea...that's another thing. I hadn't been sleeping. Not only that week...but for a couple months at the time. I still experience it sometimes, but not as often. I'm not sure what caused it." she scrunched her eyebrows together in thought, "I kept having these weird recurring dreams. They kept me up at night. I didn't want to go to sleep. They weren't _that_ terrifying, but they were so realistic...it just freaked me out."

"What happened in these dreams?" He said, looking up from his notes.

"I was in a room. A man in a suit would come in, say something, and look at some sort of blinking box. I can't really give you all the details because during the dream it was as if I had blurry vision and earplugs in. It was like I was underwater. It was the same every time."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" He said inquisitively.

"I guess." She still didn't know how she felt about people rooting around in her mind, but she didn't really have anything major to hide.

Charles sat in concentration for a moment before his features began to scrunch up. He seemed to be struggling with whatever memory he was trying to obtain. His jaw tightened and his breathing became labored.

"Professor?" she said with concern. He didn't respond. "Professor are you okay?" She stood up immediately and reached for his shoulder before he finally came out of whatever trance he was in. She pulled her hand back and stared at him as he gathered himself. "What happened?"

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to figure out what he had found. "I'm not quite sure. Carolyn...I'm not quite sure how to explain it."

"Well you can at least try. I'm kind of freaked out right now if I'm being honest." She said, trying to contain the shrillness to her voice.

Charles nodded. "Alright. Well, I traced the pathways that were connected to that dream. But...they were all….cut off. They were gone."

"Well…maybe I just...forgot something...and it's not in my brain anymore." She said as anxiety began to tug at her stomach.

"Not quite. It doesn't work like that. Now, there's no need to worry just yet. We still don't know what this means."

She took a deep breath to calm herself but it didn't help. "I...I think I want to go back now. Can we just...save this for tomorrow?"

The professor nodded. "Yes. I think we can stop for now. After all, you've only been here for two days. Why don't you head back and get some rest. Go to dinner. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Good?"

Carolyn nodded and the professor began to head towards the mansion.

" _As if I needed more to worry about."_ She thought to herself.

* * *

Carolyn had been laying in bed for at least three hours. Jubilee was nowhere to be found so she had the room to herself. The radio played in the background as she flipped through one of Jubilee's magazines. Her thick reading glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

She had decided earlier, when she got back to the mansion, that she wasn't going to worry about anything until the next day. It was hard, but not entirely impossible. When she got to her room she put on the comfiest clothes she had, popped a benadryl she found in her bag's side pocket, and helped herself to Jubilee's magazine stash figuring she probably wouldn't mind. She was missing dinner, but didn't really feel like leaving her room.

She was midway through an article about lipstick shades and 'what they say about a woman's personality' when the door opened. Jubilee marched in, kicked her shoes off, and fell onto her bed face first.

"Man am I tired." She said, her voice muffled by the floral bed sheets. She adjusted her head so that she could face Carolyn, "Oooo! I love that magazine. Are you reading the lipstick article?"

Carolyn nodded. "Yeah. It's actually pretty interesting."

"Oh my god okay. So, flip to page twenty-five." Jubilee said as she sat up. Carolyn bookmarked the page she was on with her finger and did as Jubilee instructed. She scanned through the magazine until she finally found the page in question.

Jubilee got up from her bed and sat next to Carolyn and pointed a manicured finger at the page, "Look. You know her?" She tapped the image a few times.

Carolyn looked at the image set in the middle of the page, "Yeah. Dazzler? Everyone knows her." The singer was on stage with a mic in her hand, a magnificent light show behind her.

"Guess what? She's a mutant!" Jubilee said excitedly.

Carolyn's eyes went wide. "What? Really? Like are you sure?"

"So sure. The professor told me a while back. Apparently, she's the one who makes all of those lights." Carolyn had never heard of a celebrity mutant. Sure, some mutants were well known, but for other reasons. They never made it into businesses like singing and Hollywood, at least, not that anyone knew of. People just didn't want to see them on screen or on stage.

"Are there any others like her? That you know of?" Carolyn asked, reading through the article.

"A couple. I know the professors sister did high fashion modeling for a while but...nobody knew it was her. She actually posed as three different models. She fooled everyone. But she got bored of it after a while and they all tragically 'disappeared' and no one heard from them ever again. Oh and there's a stage actor who can manipulate people's emotions. You can probably guess why everyone thinks he's good." Jubilee moved back onto her bed and fell back, "Are you going to dinner?"

"I don't know...probably. Who's the professor's sister?" Carolyn asked, setting the magazine aside, page down, so she didn't lose her place.

"Oh you've heard of her. Mystique. We mostly call her Raven here though." She said as she picked up a nail file from the side table.

"The shapeshifter? From the incident in the seventies?" Carolyn was shocked, _just how many mutant icons were connected to this place?_

"Yeah. She's gone right now recruiting people. But she'll be back soon." Jubilee continued to file her nails. "Should we head to dinner?"

"Yeah, let me change real quick," She shook her head in astonishment, "I can't believe I'm going to meet Mystique! She was my idol when I was a kid!"

Jubilee set the file down, "She was everyone's idol. But yeah...she's cool. I think she's coming back next week."

Though Carolyn was still stressed over what had occurred earlier, it was quickly being replaced by excitement. Mystique was a mutant icon _and she was going to meet her!_ As a child, Carolyn's parents constantly told her to hide her mutation, to never tell anyone. They supported her, and they never scolded her for being a mutant, but they feared for her safety. There were people in the world that hated mutants, and her family was all too familiar with such people. Carolyn had an older sister once, _once,_ but because of mutant prejudice, she never got to get to know her. Her parents never really gave her any details as to what happened specifically. All she knew was that her sister died because of her mutation. She was three when they had to move out of state because of what happened.

After that, her parents feared for their youngest daughter, hoping that she would not become a mutant like her sister. Before her powers manifested, her parents were protective, but not obsessively so. Once they did however, things became serious. The most important rule in the Curtis house was that Carolyn never revealed her mutation, and she _hated it_. They almost didn't let her go to college, but it was her mother who finally decided that Carolyn was an adult and could make her own decisions.

Her only comfort as a kid was dreaming that one day she would be able to live like Mystique, the whole world knowing who she was and what she did. She wanted nothing more than to live that life. But with the Harvard incident, and her continued loss of control since then, it was seeming to look more and more impossible. If anyone normal had found out what she did, _she'd be arrested_. Remembering all of this, her new found excitement was beginning to melt away, and stress began to nip at her brain once more.

"Hey I forgot to tell you earlier but your hair looks really cool like that!" Jubilee said, pulling Carolyn from her thoughts, "It makes you stand out. And you're really pretty so you can pull it off."

Carolyn gave a sheepish smile, "You really think so?" Not many people had told Carolyn she was pretty.

"Yeah of course! Did you and the professor ever figure out what happened? Like why it changed colors and why you vanished? I was in a rush this morning, I was going to ask you then."

Carolyn shook her head, "We don't know why it happened...but...I kind of went to the future."

Jubilee's jaw dropped and she raised her hands, "Oh my god! That's so crazy! Are you okay? What did you see? Why did it turn your hair white? Wow!"

Carolyn took a moment to process her questions before answering. "I'm fine I guess. The professor took some of my blood this morning to test. I only saw a little bit and most of it was an older Peter. We don't know why my hair turned white yet."

"You saw Peter? Did he age bad? God I hope he aged bad so I can make fun of him. What did he look like?" She said, leaning forward with excitement in her eyes.

Carolyn laughed, "He didn't age that bad...he just looked older. Like Peter but with wrinkles and facial hair."

"Damn...I was hoping he looked ugly. Oh well. I'm sure I'll find another way to make fun of him." She got up and picked up her shoes, "Hurry up and change. Dinner starts in a few minutes."

* * *

That night, there were more options for dinner. She and Jubilee both picked chicken before going to sit down with the rest of the group. Peter looked up to Carolyn and patted the seat next to him. He clearly made sure there were no other seats save for the one next to him. She could see it in his smirk. She shook her head and sat down. The entire group looked to her.

"So we heard you went to the future." Scott said, leaning in from across the table.

Carolyn looked around the table before answering, "yeah...I did."

"Is that why your hair is like that now?" Storm asked as she took a sip of her coke.

"Yeah...I guess." She said, fiddling with one of the strands.

Peter leaned in close to her, "I see you decided to go without the hat. Nice." He was very close. She could feel the heat coming from his body. Her breath hitched and she was glad for the long sleeves on her shirt or else everyone would have seen her goosebumps.

"Mhm. I did." She said quickly before taking a sip from her soda.

Peter was about to say something but was interrupted by another boy who had appeared at the edge of the table, he leaned on it with his palms and dropped his voice to a whisper, "Hey guys. Me and Alisa were thinking about doin' a garden party tonight. You down?"

Jubilee looked towards the boy with green hair, "I don't know Freddie I'm kinda tired.."

"I'm not." Scott said, pulling his arm from around Jean and leaning towards Freddie, "Let's do it. What do you say Jean?"

"Sounds fun. Carolyn, do you want to come?" Jean asked. Carolyn never went to parties. She was invited to a couple in highschool but her parents never let her go. After that, people just stopped asking. She realized she now had the opportunity to make up for that, plus, she figured she deserved some fun given her circumstances. She hadn't had actual fun in a year. She didn't know when the next opportunity would arise.

She nodded eagerly, "Yeah. I'd love to."

Kurt raised a hand, "I too would like to party!"

"Me too." said Storm as she finished the last of her fries. "When are we going to do it?"

"In about an hour or so...after dinner obviously. Kurt...Peter...Can you sneak us all out to the garden." Freddie asked, pulling a chair from the adjacent table and sitting on it backwards.

"Duh." Peter said. "You bringin' the _stuff_?"

"Duh." Freddie responded. "Jean, have Kurt take you first and set up a mental block so the professor doesn't know what's goin on."

"Yep." Jean replied.

Carolyn was beginning to catch on to what everyone was discussing. This was going to be one of _those parties._ The ones her parents strictly forbade her from going to. She didn't know how she felt about that.

 _There's no backing out now._

* * *

 **A/N: Alright so! Sorry this one took so long. I'll be uploading the next one either today or tomorrow. I was really busy setting up my classes for college so that sucked the life and creativity out of me. I just couldn't get anything right and I was unsatisfied with how things were going...so I did a lot of editing and switching things around. You know...I don't have really anything in common with Carolyn but all her talk about college is relatable as hell. It's probably my subconscious trying to vent. But anyway that's all settled now so I shouldn't have to deal with it until late august. In the next chapter there will be underage drinking and I don't know how you guys feel about it but I've read a lot of fics that warn the readers about it...so I felt I just needed to put that out there. If you're underage don't drink dont do drugs kids stay in school respect your parents blah blah blah. But i just wanted to see the 80s teen mutants doing 80s teen mutant things. There will probably be a lot of that in this story just because I love that kind of stuff. Also, Freddie is an oc. Stay tuned for the next chapter either today or tomorrow. I have it written but...I just need to make sure it's okay. Also Dazzler is an actual established character. I just wanted to throw her in there somewhere. Now, when I do these things, I hope to god I don't upset any comic junkies out there because when I add them in...they're gonna be ooc. Sorry about that I just don't know enough about all of them to make sure theyre super in character. Also we'll explore more about what happened to carolyn's sister later its just not the right time yet.**

 **Also! Again thank you for all your reviews. I'm new at this fic stuff so i'm not really sure if I should respond to them here or not? I don't know but i might in the next chapter in the authors note. Like obviously I wont respond to ALL of them but like...if you have any questions or stuff I will!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Party

**A/N: A couple notes at the bottom to consider. Alisa, Roxy(Bling), and the triplets are not my characters. Enjoy (or don't this chapter is kinda evil imo) :) Warnings: Drinking/alcohol and all that jazz**

* * *

"Are you going to the party?" Carolyn asked as she observed Jubilee who was nearly half asleep in bed. She was hoping she'd be there just in case something were to happen. She didn't know what...but something.

"Yeah but I think I'll leave early. I'm beat." She said with a yawn.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was loud noise and a cloud of blue smoke appeared. Carolyn screamed and nearly fell off her bed. Jubilee shot up from under her covers with raised hands ready to fight. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a startled Kurt.

"I am sorry Carolyn! I forget you are not used to that!" He said quickly.

Jubilee laughed hysterically, grabbing her chest and knocking her head back. "God Carolyn," She said, stifling her laughter, " I think you scared me more than Kurt scared you. I sure am awake now!"

Carolyn was at a loss for words. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was surprised she didn't create another time dome after that scare.

"Come on Carolyn let's go." Jubilee said as she got up and grabbed onto Kurt's shoulder. Carolyn got up and hesitantly reached for one of Kurt's blue arms. The second she grabbed it, the loud noise returned and blue smoke surrounded her. When it cleared, she found herself standing in the garden Peter had shown her. She found it less disorienting than when Peter took her places, but still disorienting nonetheless.

The garden was lit with white christmas lights and various pool torches. There were people scattered around talking and drinking from red cups. Some of them seemed more her age, others a bit younger. Scott and Jean were standing next to a small portable grill. Storm was talking to a boy that Carolyn didn't recognize, and Peter was nowhere to be found. There was a small stone fire pit set in the middle that the boy from earlier, Freddie, was attempting to light while others watched him.

Jubilee walked over to him, "Freddie you're doing it all wrong let me help!"

Kurt disappeared in smoke again, leaving Carolyn alone, but the second after the smoke cleared, Peter appeared in front of her, sending wind through her hair. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied.

"So this is your first real party isn't it?" He asked with a knowing grin.

Carolyn scoffed, "No it's not!" she lied.

Peter crossed his arms and continued to grin, "You sure about that?"

"Yes! I've been to tons of parties!" She said, knowing full well it was far from the truth. She walked away from him and towards a table filled with chips and drinks. He beat her to it.

"Hey it's fine dude! No one here will judge you for that. I didn't go to many parties until I came here. And I don't even think Kurt knew what a party _was_ until this place." He picked up a plastic cup and after a blur of motion it was filled. He took a sip.

"Well….that's nice but I have been to parties." She said, picking up a cup of her own and staring at the drinks. There was soda, but there was also a rather large selection of alcohol.

Carolyn weighed her options. She hadn't even tasted alcohol save for the time her mother let her have a drop of champagne at new years. Yes, she was twenty, but she wasn't twenty one, and given her strict upbringing and the fact she was always too busy for wild social activities, she just never had the opportunity...nor thought about it.

She began to remember all the stress she had been enduring for the past several months and it was then she decided…she deserved it. She picked up a bottle of vodka and poured it into her cup, nearly spilling it because she tipped it over so fast.

Peter only looked up to the sky and tried to hold back his laughter.

Carolyn then took a bottle of soda and added some in for flavor. She nodded in satisfaction and picked up her cup.

"Have you ever even had any alcohol before? Or gotten drunk?" He asked, still suppressing a laugh.

"Yep!" she said before bringing the cup to her lips and knocking the cup back.

She looked up at him from behind her cup. The taste did not hit her immediately. At first all she tasted was the carbonation from the soda, but as she neared the bottom, a searing chemical taste ripped through her taste buds. She nearly dropped the cup as she reared back and scrunched up her nose. She smacked her lips and coughed.

"And how was that?" He asked, smirking.

"Great." she lied, continuing to rub her tongue on the roof of her mouth, trying to rid it of the rancid taste. It finally began to subside and it was replaced by a pleasant, warm, tingling feeling in her throat and chest. She looked over to the fire pit, which was surrounded by a group of people who sat in fold up chairs.

"I think they're gonna do s'mores." He said, pointing towards the fire, "Wanna go get some?"

Carolyn nodded and headed towards the fire.

When she and Peter sat down, Jubilee introduced Carolyn to the group. There was Freddie, the boy from before. He was able to eradicate objects and his bright green hair was natural. In the darkness, she was able to see that it actually gave off a soft glow. He was nice enough and he clearly had a thing for Jubilee, but _Jubilee wasn't having any of it._

The girl who sat next to him was Alisa. She had long pristine dreadlocks that she clearly took the utmost care of, and it was later discovered by Carolyn that she could turn completely invisible and was studying at the local college.

Next to her was Roxanne, but everyone called her Bling because of her diamond like skin that shimmered in the moonlight. Her party trick was breaking a rock in the palm of her hand. Carolyn was stunned to say the least.

The last three were triplets, or at least that's what Carolyn assumed they were. They looked more like exact clones and they even spoke in precise unison at certain points. She never found out exactly what Celeste, Irma, and Phoebe did, but she was too afraid to ask. They were quite intimidating.

"So what college do you go to?" Alisa asked, "I heard you go to college."

"Harvard," said Carolyn, "But I'm taking a break." She felt her anxiety tug at the back of her mind, but was able to ignore it.

"Oh wow! That's amazing!" Bling said from across the fire, "What were you studying?"

"Law. I eventually want to represent mutants in their cases," She said. She looked over to her right and noticed Peter had disappeared. She didn't know how long he had been gone.

"Wow! You don't see many of those." Said Bling before biting into a marshmellow.

Carolyn grabbed a marshmellow and popped it into her mouth and looked around for Peter. She had no idea where he went, but decided not to worry about it. "Can someone pass me one of the marshmellow sticks?" she asked. Freddie passed one to her.

"So," Freddie said, "Were you at Harvard when that dome thing happened?"

Carolyn's breath caught in her throat, "Uh….No….I….Um" she tried to think of what to say, but thankfully Jean interrupted the conversation.

"Oh! You guys are doing s'mores without me?" She sat down next to Carolyn and reached for a handful of marshmellows and a stick.

Scott arrived and sat next to her "Save some for me!"

Suddenly, Jean's voice filled Carolyn's head, " _Your thoughts sounded frantic...I thought you could use some help_." She looked over to Jean and Jean smiled in return. Unsure of what to think, Carolyn just nodded and mouthed 'thank you'.

"God that algebra test was crazy today…" Jubilee said, "I mean I probably passed but...I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."

"I thought it was easy," Said one of the triplets, Carolyn wasn't sure which one, "Did you guys watch the news this morning? Did you hear about the mutants disappearing across the country, but then randomly showing back up as if nothing happened. There's only a few cases so far but…"

"oOOOoOOOoOO scary," Freddie interrupted, "Better watch out guys or the mutant abducting aliens are gonna getcha!" He pounced towards Jubilee with his hands out. She batted his hands away laughing.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Jubilee said, "I mean, if they acted like nothing happened...then they probably just went somewhere without telling anyone. The news tends to exaggerate mutant stories."

"I don't know...it does sound sort of weird." Scott said as he constructed a s'more.

Carolyn stared at the fire deep in thought. A month before the Harvard incident, she recalled a couple people asking where she went, but she hadn't gone anywhere. She just chalked it up to them being crazy or just not noticing her. Nobody else had questioned her, but those few people _swore_ she had gone missing for an entire week. It was a little weird, but she forgot about it after a while. More pressing matters took the spotlight. But as she heard about the news story, and realized it paralleled what happened to her, she became suspicious.

"What else did the story say," she asked, "Like….do they have any answers?"

One of the triplets faced her, "All they know is that a couple people reported their mutant friends and family members missing. A full investigation would occur..but a week later the missing mutant would turn up as if nothing had happened, wondering why the police were at their house."

Alisa butted in, "Hey, don't forget the fact that some people have come forward saying that they saw these mutants during the weeks they were," she made air quotes, " 'missing' and said that the other people who filed the reports were wrong."

"See….it's probably a bunch of lies." said Jubilee.

Carolyn nodded and realized she was probably getting worked up for nothing.

" _If I had gone missing...I would have remembered_." She thought. Carolyn looked over to the food table, debating whether or not she wanted chips, when she spotted Peter standing around a different table, covered in cups, that was on the opposite end of the garden.

She decided to go investigate. She stood up, "I'll be right back."

"Alright just come back soon," Said Jubilee, "I think I'm gonna have Kurt take me back in a while. I'm getting tired." Carolyn nodded and made her way over to the table.

She realized as she got closer that they were playing beer bong. Carolyn shook her head before tapping Peter's shoulder. He turned around.

"Heyyyyyyyy!" He said, a little too loudly, "It's Carolyn!"

The entire group turned to her, "Heyyyy!" they all yelled in unison before turning back to the game. Carolyn looked at Peter who held a red cup in his hand and swayed slightly.

He was plastered.

Completely plastered.

He cupped his hands on her cheeks, "Dude I'm so sorry! I was gonna come back butttt…I got a litttle side tracked."

She tried to hold back a laugh as he slurred his words, "I see you've been busy."

"Yeasoigotuptogetadrinkbutheysetupthetableandiwaslikeihavetoplayatleastonegameandthenillbebackan-"

Carolyn held her hands out in front of her trying to get him to stop, "Woah slow down I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Doooooo youuuuuuuuu," He took a breath, "wannnnnnnnaaaaaa plaaaaaayyyyy?" He pointed to the table.

Carolyn eyed the table, "No. Definitely not."

"Come onnnnn. Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn" He said, giving her a shake.

"No." She said again, firmly this time.

"Pleassseeeeeeeeeeeeeee," He said, "You gotta man! You just gotta! You did sports right? This is a sport."

Carolyn looked at the table one more time before sighing, "Fine." Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the table. Peter had placed her there. She took a moment to gather herself before looking down at the table. She had no idea how to play or what she was doing.

"Carolyn get's to go first guys!" Peter yelled.

"I don't even know how to play…" She whispered to Peter, who stood next to her.

"You just put the ball in the cup." He said, handing her a pingpong ball. She took it in her hand and stared at the cups across the table. Not putting much thought into it, she flung it at one of the nearest cups and somehow...it made it. The group cheered and the boy across from her grabbed the cup and downed it within seconds.

Carolyn shook her head, "Peter….what if it lands in my cup. I don't want to drink any of this…. _I've never gotten drunk before_." She whispered the last part.

"But you said you have!" He said with a mock gasp as he placed his hand on his chest.

"I haven't okay….and I don't want to do this." She said, crossing her arms.

"I kneeew it!" He said before licking his lips, "I'll just drink it for you. Guy's I'm drinking all of Carolyn's losses!" The group cheered again.

Carolyn definitely didn't want that to happen either. Peter was already drunk as could be and she knew he didn't need any more. So she made the executive decision to cheat.

Every time a ball came close to landing in one of her cups, she froze time for a second, moved the ball slightly, and let time resume. Not a single ball hit any of her cups. Nobody seemed to notice or care what was happening and cheered Carolyn on every time she went up to bat. Peter was vaguely aware that she was cheating, but was enjoying himself too much to say anything.

Finally, all the opposing cups were emptied by the boy across from her and the game was over. It took her about an hour because of her terrible aim, but she did it. Everyone began to refill the cups and Peter took her aside.

"You tootalllyy cheatted." He slurred.

Carolyn gave him an innocent look, "Who me? Never. I believe in hard work and honesty."

"Derek deserfed to lose anyway." He said as he swiped a cup off the table and started to drink.

"Woah hey," Carolyn snatched the cup from his hands, "You've definitely had enough."

Peter snatched it back from her, "Noooooo. I'm fi-" he swallowed, "I'm fine." He brought the cup to his mouth but Carolyn tried to wrestle it from him. She almost had it but Peter raised it high above his head.

"Peter I'm serious," She said, "You're cut off."

"Try and take it from me!" He said as he began to run away. He was fast, but not as fast as he usually was. The speed was more like that of an olympic track star or dog.

It was something Carolyn could keep up with.

She ran after him, pushing people out of the way and apologizing as she went. He zigzagged through the flowers and bushes laughing, some of the contents of the cup spilling along the way. Carolyn had nearly caught him twice, but he was still able to get away.

At one point, she lost him and she stopped in her tracks. They were very far away from people and she was beginning to realize the garden was a lot bigger than previously thought. It actually led off into a maze of sorts. The entrance was made up of two large green hedges and a couple of pillars. She scanned the area but he was nowhere to be found. It was also kind of dark, only the moon illuminated her surroundings.

"Peter," She yelled, "Where are you?" She entered the maze and began to search for him. Around a leafy corner, she found a couple making out and she quickly backtracked before they saw her. Running backwards into the darkness, she felt her back connect with someone.

She flipped around and looked up. It was Peter, "There you are!" She whispered.

"WHY ARE YOU WHISPERING?" He asked loudly.

"Just come on," She said, dragging him further away from the couple, "Did you drink it?" The cup was no longer in his hands.

"Driznk what?" He slurred, stumbling around as she led him through the maze.

"Nevermind." She said. They reached a large fountain that sat in the middle of the maze. Peter immediately ran to it and jumped in, creating a large splash.

"Peter! What are you doing?" She screeched, running after him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he shouted, "I'm swimming!" A few angry ducks flapped their wings and squawked before removing themselves from the fountain. He pulled his goggles over his eyes and completely submerged himself, disappearing into the dark water.

Carolyn quickly leaned over the edge and peered into the blackness. It was a deep fountain. One could even go as far as classifying it as a pond. Peter was nowhere to be found. A few bubbles rose to the surface and Carolyn leaned in closer, trying to see him. Without warning, two hands shot up and grabbed her. She was pulled forward into the water making another giant splash that set the ducks off again. They quacked angrily and waddled away from the area.

Carolyn broke the surface gasping for air and Peter followed. He burst into laughter as she began to realize what had occurred. She angrily splashed him as he continued to laugh.

"Peter what the hell!" she shrieked, pulling the wet curls away from her face. She eventually dipped back under so that she could slick her hair back.

Peter had pulled his goggles off and was floating in front of her, the moonlight reflected on the settling water.

"This water is disgusting...why did you pull me in here?" She complained, splashing away a leaf.

He moved closer, "You've gotta uhhhh," He pointed to her head, "…a thing." He reached for her head and pulled off a leaf.

Carolyn sighed and floated onto her back. It was a rather hot night, and the water actually felt good, so she decided not to get too upset about it. Suddenly she heard a loud pop and saw the sky fill with lights. Fireworks.

She heard distant chanting, " _Jub-il-ee! Jub-il-ee! Jub-il-ee!_ "

" _Guess Jubilee wasn't that tired after all_." She thought. She watched one fly up and explode, forming a heart. Another one formed into a 'J '.

"Wont the professor see that? Or hear that?" Carolyn asked, pointing at the yellow and pink fireworks.

"Psshhhh naaaahhh," He said, "Jean's got it covered. It's allll goood."

"Do you guys do this often?" she asked, still staring up at the sky.

"Yeah….uhh..shhhuree.." He said, staring at Carolyn as the colorful lights from above lit up her features.

"And the professor never knows about it?" She looked down and realized how close she and Peter were. Their chests were practically touching.

"Uh huh." He said. Carolyn looked up again to avoid eye contact. She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks and she tried to will herself to swim away...but couldn't.

 _He was so close_.

A couple more fireworks flew into the sky and exploded, sending drops of color in various directions. Carolyn looked back down to find Peter staring at her. Not just looking...staring. She pressed her lips together and swallowed.

" _No_ ," She thought, " _I can't do this. I've got too much on my plate. Back away Carolyn. Back away!_ " But she did not move.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Peter asked, his words were clear and free of slurring.

Carolyn looked back to the sky, the fireworks had stopped. She looked back down to him, "Yeah...I guess." Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. He was closer...if that was even possible. Every time she inhaled, her chest touched his. She stopped breathing.

Peter looked down at her lips then back to her eyes, "I.."

Suddenly, someone jumped from the hedges and ran to them frantically, "THERE YOU ARE PETER! WE NEED YOU TO HELP CLEAN UP! THE PROFESSOR FOUND OUT AND HE'S COMING!" The boy huffed and puffed, holding his chest as if he had just ran a marathon.

Carolyn snapped out of her trance, "Oh god…" They both swam frantically for the edge of the fountain. Peter sobered up faster than he ever had. He practically launched himself from the waters and leaned over the edge to help Carolyn. She nearly slipped back in, but he held onto her tight as she climbed out. The other boy had ran back the party and was nowhere to be found.

"Wait here." He said and then he was gone. Carolyn looked down at her soaking clothes. She thanked god her shirt wasn't see through. A puddle was forming around her and her socks squished inside her canvas shoes every time she took a step. She pulled her hair to the side and rung it out with her hands a couple times before pulling the green scrunchie off her wrist and throwing her hair up into a bun.

She wasn't too concerned about herself getting caught since she was, indeed, an adult. The only people she feared were her parents and they would never know. Peter had to have been at least twenty-four so everything he was doing was perfectly legal. But she worried for her younger friends, and the consequences they might face. Carolyn didn't know how the professor was with discipline , but hoped he wasn't that bad. He didn't seem like the type to yell or dish out punishments. But she was certain if any of them got caught...there would be some sort of chastisement.

Peter was still missing, so she sat at the edge of the fountain waiting for him. She began to think about what had just occurred.

" _We were so close_."

" _What was he going to say_?"

Before she could put any more thought into it, Peter appeared again. He stumbled as he came to a stop and put his hands on his knees. He did not look good.

"Are you okay?" She said, noting the paleness to his face.

"Supher…" He mumbled, shuffling towards her, trying to keep balance. "Come on we gotta get-," he swallowed, "We gotta get out of here." He swiftly took her in his arms and ran her out of the garden and back into the mansion. She noted it was slower than usual, and it barely affected her at all. When they stopped they were in a room she did not recognize.

"I thought you said Jean had it covered." She whispered as she examined the room. Peter did not answer. She turned around and he was sitting on the floor, looking as if he was about to pass out. She kneeled next to him, "Peter get up. I don't know where we are."

"This isn't youhr rhoom?" He said, his voice was slurred and barely coherent.

"No...I don't even think it's a bedroom. Are you okay?" She said as she watched him slowly lower himself to the floor to lay down.

"I'm fffine..." He said. The room was dark, but Carolyn could see that he definitely wasn't fine. She searched around the room and found a small empty wastebasket.

"Here," She said, handing it to him, "You really don't look good. We need to get you to your room. Show me where it is." She led him to the door as he leaned over the basket and tried not to fall down. "I said you were cut off! You should have listened to me!" She whispered as they crept down the hall.

"Uh huh." he said, his voice muffled by the basket. He pointed left and they turned down the hall.

"That's," He swallowed and pointed to a door, "That's my room." Carolyn moved to the door and threw it open. She pulled him inside and shut it behind them.

"Where's the light?" she asked, feeling around on the wall. Peter let go of Carolyn and clapped his hands tiredly, dropping the basket. The lights blinked on. He immediately found his bed and crawled onto it, dripping water from his wet clothes all over the covers. That's when Carolyn realized there was probably a trail of water all throughout the halls.

" _Great_." She thought.

His room was filled with all sorts of things. There were band posters covering the walls, various light up gadgets and things she couldn't recognize. There were at least three arcade games shoved in one corner and a mini-fridge in another. There were grey scuff marks in front of his door, she figured it was probably from him running in and out all the time. There were also dozens of boxes of twinkies and poptarts stacked on his dresser. How he managed to stay so fit with his eating habits was beyond her.

Peter sat up in bed and was fiddling with his shoes, but just wasn't able to grasp the concept of removing them. Carolyn giggled a little at his struggle before sitting next to him to help.

She started with the laces, "Where do you even get silver shoes?" She asked.

"Uhhh the store." He said, "Duh." He yawned, and once the shoe was loose he shook his foot and it fell onto the floor.

Carolyn looked around as she unlaced the other one, "Where did you get all this stuff?" She asked, "Is that a stop sign? Where did you get that?"

"The store." he said again, kicking the other shoe off. He looked down at his clothes then to hers, "Why are…" he yawned, "Why are we all wet?"

Carolyn shook her head, "I don't know you tell me."

He held a palm up, "Is it raining?"

Carolyn laughed, "Yes it's raining. Right here in your room."

"Oh mannn hreally?" He slurred. He quickly reached under his bed and pulled out a large blue umbrella.

Carolyn took it from his hands and set it aside, "You don't need that." Carolyn stood up and examined her clothes. They were still soaking wet. She needed to change.

As if on cue, Peter hooked his hands around the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off, struggling with it initially as the wet fabric clung to his skin, but eventually it was thrown aside and he layed back down. Carolyn couldn't look away.

She had dated two boys in her life, neither of them looked as good without a shirt. All she could do was gawk and she could tell her face was probably as red as it could be.

" _He has abs.._ " she thought, " _Nope I won't do this. I don't like him like that. I can't do this…_ " She continued to stare but was cut short when he went to unbutton his pants.

"Woah I don't think so…" She said, stopping him.

"My pants are wet!" He complained, shoving her hands out of the way.

"I don't care!" She looked around the room and spotted a pair of clean red sweatpants hanging out of one of his drawers. She snatched them up, "I'll turn around. You put these on."

"Hhhokayy," He took the pants and she turned around. He struggled for a moment and she could hear the rustling of fabric, but then it stopped. "I can't do it…"

Carolyn didn't turn around, "Well figure it out. I'm not helping you with that."

He was quiet for a moment and then began to try again before stopping, "I can't!"

"Peter…." She groaned, "I'm not helping you take your pants off!" She then felt the sweatpants hit her back and she turned around angrily with a hand covering her eyes slightly, "Peter!"

"I can't get them off! They're too wet. Just pull on the legs." he said, still struggling.

Carolyn looked to the ceiling and sighed heavily. "Fine." She kept her eyes averted and felt for his legs. When she found them, she tugged at the grey fabric and pulled as hard as she could. After a bit of hassle, she finally pulled them off and threw the sweatpants back at him. "Now put those on." But he did not respond. She looked down cautiously and found that he was completely unconscious. "Seriously?"

* * *

 **A/N: Anyways a couple notes. So just because I can and I want to...Peter is about 23-24 in this fic because I want it that way. I mean I know in XMA hes supposed to be like 26 but...I don't wanna do that. Also there are a lot of highschoolers at the school but there are also people that are more Carolyns age. I hope I made that clear. I also hope I wrote 'drunkness' okay...like i pulled from a lot of my own experiences but honestly? found it difficult for some reason like i didn't want to over exaggerate but I also wanted to make it clear. But yes...the ole' "someone from the pair gets drunk" and "getting wet" AND "fireworks" tropes are always fun. I hope you liked it. Speaking of drunkness...in prior versions of this chapter someone else get's drunk and i may just upload that as a oneshot separate from this story. It wont be a part of it just a "what if" sort of thing :)**

 **As always thank you for any follows, favs, and reviews! they are very appreciated and motivate me to write. I can't believe I'm getting follows and stuff like I never expected this at all!**

 **xFallenDemonx: I'll admit I did toy with her time traveling during the party but then i decided not to. I was like "nah i'll let her have some fun for now she needs it" Like I definitely wrote it out but I just didn't like it.**

 **riverfirephoenix I'm glad you like the character relationships! I hate when those are skipped over like yeah...the romantic relationship is important but friendship is still important! Especially for Carolyn. I really think she needs to make friends and figure herself out before anything big happens with Peter.**


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